1913 Henderson

I first became aware of the 1913 Henderson in the 1980s when it belonged to a fellow named “Buck” Rogers, one of the pioneer car and motorcycle collectors in British Columbia. He had acquired the remains of the bike in the 1950s but had never been able to locate the missing pieces needed to complete the project. I began helping him by assembling some of the Henderson parts he had and this led to my purchase of the bike in 1988.

When I acquired the bike it had no front end at all. In fact, it was mostly just the engine, frame, footboard, and wheels. There was also a gas tank that Buck’s son had made that didn’t fit well and a couple of fenders that were not good. So I took over the job of finding the missing pieces. Curiously, there was another 1913 Henderson in the area and it was also missing its entire front end.

Fortunately, we found a collector in Eastern Canada who had an original condition 1913 Henderson. He kindly agreed to have a local machinist copy the forks and bars off of his bike and make two sets to be sent out to the west coast for the two bikes. This was a major step toward putting the pile of parts back into the shape of a motorcycle.

In 1990, with the new front end

Progress was slow during the 1990s as family and work were higher priorities. During that time I had the frame and wheels painted and then hand-striped by George Apted. Engine work included new babbitt main and rod bearings, cylinders bored, and aluminum pistons from Egge. The Bosch DU-4 magneto that came with the bike was the wrong rotation so I had it converted to run the other direction. I purchased the early Schebler Model H carb from Gary Hite in Spokane. By 2005 I had purchased all-white tires from Coker and mounted the engine in the frame. I ran the engine briefly but there was still more work to be done.

2005, frame painted, striped, and new tires

It wasn’t until 2012 that I actually got the carb and mag set up and working properly. I'd had a seat pan made by Jethro Smith, then covered by Howard Heilman so it was starting to look like a complete motorcycle at last.

2012, looking like a motorcycle

By 2013 I had made up fenders from some NOS fender blanks from Matt Smith and so most of the major components were ready to go. By the fall of that year I was able to run the engine well and was looking forward to finishing the bike in its centennial year.

When I retired from my teaching job in June 2013, my colleagues knew that an appropriate retirement gift would be a contribution toward the cost of having a new gas tank made for the Henderson. So, with a little help from my friends, I had a correct tank made by Jethro Smith. Painting and striping were completed in the fall of 2013 and the Henderson was finally nearing completion. Video of a first ride can be found at https://youtu.be/A6FWBvDeZLs

2013, with new tank, fenders, and paint

The first official showing of my Henderson was at the 2014 Crescent Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it attracted a lot of attention and won 1st place in the motorcycle class. In the following few years I showed it at small local shows and won “Peoples’ Choice” and “Best of Show” awards. I also made it available for use in a few movies or TV Shows that were being shot locally but as far as I know it never made it into the final cut of any show. In 2015 it was featured in the Insurance Corporation of B.C.’s calendar.

2014, 1st place at Crescent Beach Concours

I have ridden the Henderson about 100 miles. It’s not well suited for driving in the city but I have taken it to a more rural area for country road drives. It is smooth and powerful, cruising easily at 40 mph. In 2016 I took it along when our antique car club visited a nearby race track and enjoyed doing a couple of easy laps when it was my turn. Video of this can be found at https://youtu.be/J0S-19MguLo

2016, taking a lap at the race track

In 2020 I purchased a 46 tooth rear sprocket from Antique Motorcycle Works, to lower the gearing a little. It makes it a little easier to start on hills, at the cost of a slightly lower top speed. In 2022 I showed it at the annual show at Deeley Motorcycles & Museum, where it won another People's choice Award.

2022, at Deeley Motorcycle Show

In the last few years I have been busy with other projects and have not been riding it, so the time has come to send it on to its next caretaker. The Henderson will be put up for sale in 2025.

Accessory items:
   Horn
   Acetylene headlight and (reproduction) taillight
   Prestolite tank
   Handlebar mounted pocket watch